Unexpected Gifts
by trickhayden
Summary: A cottage on the beach... oh the possibilities... (author aka muykiay)
1. Birthday gift

Disclaimer: JK is too brilliant to be me, so therefore the characters in use are not mine. though I wouldn't mind having Ron.  
  
A/N: This is the first fic I've written without writing it in a notebook for so it might be a little weird, not to mention this is my first HP fic. It's an AU fic in the Harry Potter World. I guess it could be after the fifth book, though there's not going to be any spoilers that I know of. I'll try to leave them out as much as I can. Btw, this is just a trial run, I don't know if I'm going to post the rest of the fic yet. I'm not sure if it's any good. So if you think this fic has possibilities, then please leave a review, and let me know to continue.  
  
Unexpected Gifts  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Hermione woke up to a warm summer day in her bed that was covered in a dark comforter that had pink and blue stars on it. Her four-poster bed had pink and blue cloth hanging around the posts that matched the stars. On her ceiling she had glow in the dark stars that resembled the night sky from Hogwarts, her home. She of course had a desk and several bookcases filled with books she's collected over the years. Her wardrobe wasn't filled, as she isn't one of those girls who are all about materials. On her bedside table she had an alarm clock that read 9:45 and a picture of herself with her two best friends, Harry and Ron. Both had their arms around her and were smiling brightly. It was taken just before she was petrified in their second year. The trio finally gave into Colin who begged them all year to let him take a picture of the famous trio. Hermione smiled remember what Ron said when Colin asked for the last time, "Alright just get on with it!" He could be insufferable at times, but that's one thing that Hermione loved about Ron.  
  
Yes, she had finally admitted it to herself this past school year. She didn't want to believe it at first, but she couldn't resist any longer. She, Hermione Granger, loved Ron Weasley. She supposed she had since at least second year, but for sure during fourth. But they had been friends since the troll incident in first year. Hermione would never forget the way that club came down on the troll's head.  
  
Hermione slowly got out of bed when the clock read 10:00. This summer she had decided to take it a bit easier than the past few years, she finally got past her OWLs with flying feathers. She headed downstairs to find Pig with a letter from Ron. She scratched Pig behind the neck as she untied the letter from his leg. When she got the letter off she put a bowl of water in front of Pig so he could relax a bit before taking off again.  
  
Hermione,  
  
How have you been this summer? Mine's been really boring. I wish I could have you and Harry over this summer, but Mum says it's better that I don't, since her and Dad are going to be really busy and Harry shouldn't leave the Muggles. They are horrible to him though! I wish that I could do something for Harry, but he says that this summer isn't so bad. His family is being nicer to him, especially his aunt. I guess that warning they got scared the wits outta them. I'll try talking to Mum again and see if you can at least come and visit for a day. That would be nice wouldn't it? I know Ginny would love to have you over for a day. She says 'hi' by the way. Well I have to go help Fred and George. They've been having me help them at the shop a couple of days a week. They're getting so busy. Well I hope to talk to you soon.  
  
Love, Ron  
  
Love Ron? What does that mean? Hermione thought as she re-read the letter for a third time. She told herself she wouldn't read too much into it. Things would happen as they happen and there was nothing she could do about it. She did write back as soon as she finished reading it again.  
  
Ron,  
  
My summer's been okay, but boring as well. But I'll have you know I'm relaxing more! I've been getting up a bit later than I used to. And I haven't finished all of my homework yet, but we're only two weeks into summer holiday after all. There's some time left. Tell Ginny I said 'hi' back and that I can't wait to talk to her about everything! I've been missing 'girl talk'. So how have you been doing? Practicing Quidditch much? That's great about Fred and George! I always knew they'd make it, but don't you tell them that! It's great that you're helping them too. Also, if you want to talk to me, you could call me on the telephone, but don't yell into the receiver like you did when you called Harry. He told me about that. Harry also told me that he's doing better this summer. But he won't talk about Sirius. I'm just hoping he's not blaming himself. I read in a book once that people that are dealing with grief over the death of a loved one usually blame themselves. It's part of the grieving process. I know, I know, "put down that book". I can't wait to hear from you soon. I'll ask my Mum if you can come and visit with me for a few days and see what it's like to live in a Muggle house for a few days. We could go into town and look at the shops and stuff. It will be fun. Well I'll talk to you soon!  
  
Love, Hermione.  
  
She re-read her letter several times before sealing it and sending it off with Pig to the Burrow. She hoped that he would reply soon. She was missing her friends dreadfully even though she had seen them just over two weeks ago. She was looking forward to her birthday when she would be allowed to have them come visit her, but was she in for a surprise.  
  
"Hermione, we got you an early birthday gift." Ms. Granger said at dinner that night.  
  
"16 is a big birthday and we want it to be memorable." Mr. Granger continued.  
  
"My birthdays not for weeks." Hermione said astonished that her parents would get her something already.  
  
"We trust that you are responsible enough to have this gift." Ms. Granger said getting up to get an envelope from the desk drawer in the sitting room. "Here." She said handing the envelope to her daughter.  
  
"What are these?" Hermione asked astonished at what she held in her hands.  
  
"Keys to your condo at a beach in Ireland. And two plane tickets. Also we talked to Dumbledore to help us with another thing since we know Harry won't be able to stay. He got us a renew-a-day. he called it a Portkey I think. It's so Harry can get there everyday magically. You leave on Monday at 1pm" Mr. Granger said smiling at his daughter's face.  
  
"So I'm going by myself?"  
  
"No, your friend Ron will be joining you, that's what the second ticket's for." Mr. Granger answered.  
  
"But. wha. Whoa." Hermione said, still astonished.  
  
"We sent a letter to Ms. Weasley earlier this week and she said it sounded like a good idea." Ms. Granger said.  
  
"I got a letter from Ron today, and he didn't say anything about this." Hermione said.  
  
"He doesn't know yet. We asked his Mother before we told you so that we would know it was a good idea. I trust you will be responsible." Hermione jumped up from her chair and rushed to her parents and hugged them.  
  
"You're the best! I'm going to write Ron and Harry right away!" Hermione rushed upstairs.  
  
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Mr. Granger asked his wife.  
  
"I trust her completely. Plus this will allow her to feel what it's like to be independent. Plus those boys are the best thing that's ever happened to her. They'll protect her." Ms. Granger stated as-a-matter-of-factly.  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of." Mr. Granger said as he left the room.  
  
End A/N: Liked it? Hated it? Should I bother continuing? Constructive Criticism welcomed. 


	2. In the sky

Disclaimer: JK is too brilliant to be me, so therefore the characters in use are not mine. though I wouldn't mind having Ron.  
  
A/N: Much thanks to everyone who reviewed! I didn't think I was going to get any reviews! To answer one question, both of Hermione's parents are dentist and they make a lot of money.  
  
Much Thanks to Helen my "beta" reader! Without her, my fic would sound so American.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Monday came and Hermione got up extra early to make sure she was ready. She was all packed. A whole month away from her parents. She wasn't sure if she was ready for it, but she was excited nonetheless. They got to the airport and checked in her bags an hour before the plane was to leave. Before passport control Hermione said good-bye to her parents.  
  
"Do you have everything?" Ms. Granger asked her daughter hugging her.  
  
"Yes." Hermione said smiling.  
  
"Be careful." Mr. Granger said taking his turn hugging Hermione.  
  
"I will. Bye Dad. I'll be back in no time Mum. I'll see you both in a month!" Hermione said as she walked away waving behind her and she handed her passport to the man behind the counter.  
  
Hermione reached the gate and saw a tall redhead looking lost among the crowd. Hermione was surprised that he had made it this far.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione yelled as she ran to greet her friend.  
  
"Hermione!" Ron said as his friend came running to him and gave him a hug.  
  
"How have you been?" Hermione asked after their hug that lasted a bit longer than normal.  
  
"Nervous. I've never been on a plane before." Ron said looking out to the big metal things outside of the windows. Hermione could understand why Ron would be nervous. He had never flown before, except on a broom, which she thought was more safe. But since it would be a bit hard (and a much longer flight) to ride on a broom, it was better that they flew the Muggle way.  
  
"It'll be okay. It's only bad the first time you ride. I'll be right besides you though, so you won't have to go through by yourself." Hermione said giving Ron a comforting smile.  
  
"Flight 325 to Shannon is now boarding rows 30 to 50." Ron looked around to see where the voice was coming from. Hermione giggled at how Ron looked. She then looked at their tickets and realized they were in row 42.  
  
"Come on Ron. We need to get in line to board." She took Ron's hand with one hand and her hand luggage with the other and led him to the gate. When they got to the gate she dropped his hand and handed him his ticket.  
  
"They'll ask for the ticket, and you just hand it to them okay? And then we'll go inside and find our seats. I asked for a window seat so that you could see outside. It might help you a bit." Hermione said.  
  
"Thanks." Ron said looking at all the Muggles.  
  
Soon enough they were inside the plane and Hermione was putting their hand luggage in the overhead compartment. Ron was seating himself by the window and looking at the belt and the fold-down table. Hermione took her seat with an amused smile on her face. Watching Ron amazed at all the Muggles was hilarious to her. But she tired to be as nice as she could and not laugh too much out loud. She buckled her belt and helped Ron with his. When he asked what they were for she tried to explain that sometimes the plane would give some surprising bumps to the passengers and people could be thrown from their seats. She stopped explaining this to him as he saw his face grow concerned. She then told him that it would be okay and that crashes hardly ever happened. This just made Ron more worried. Hermione decided she would keep her mouth shut about the plane and try to focus on something else.  
  
Before she could think of anything else to talk about, the plane gave a jerk as it left the terminal. Ron grabbed her hand and held onto it for dear life. Hermione smiled and tried to comfort Ron by rubbing her thumb along his hand. The air stewards did their demonstration about what to do if there was an emergency. Ron watched very carefully to make sure he knew exactly what he should do, just in case.  
  
The captain came on a short minute later giving them all the information about where they were going, how high they would fly, and for the passengers to stay buckled up at all times unless they needed to use the lavatories. The flight was a short hour flight, and Hermione made sure that Ron was as comfortable as possible. Ron didn't let go of her hand at all though.  
  
"Ron, look out the window." Hermione said trying to get Ron to see the marvelous view the plane gave them.  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on Ron. It's not bad." Hermione was now leaning over Ron to get a better view. "Look." And she took his face in her free hand and turned it to look out the window. "Just open your eyes." Ron's eyes stayed squeezed shut. "Please Ron? For me?" Ron shook his head, though he thought a few seconds about it. "Fine." Hermione was searching her brain for a way to get him to look. She kissed his cheek and his eyes shot open. "Finally." Hermione said, "Look at the view."  
  
"Wow." He said awestruck. Brooms couldn't go this high without making someone lightheaded.  
  
"I told you." Hermione said with a voice of victory.  
  
"Excuse me miss, could you sit back in your seat?" A stewardess said to Hermione as she patrolled the isles.  
  
"Oh sorry." Hermione said embarrassed. Ron stuck his tongue out at her, but he quickly put it back inside his mouth when Hermione gave him 'the look'.  
  
End A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short, but them being short, there will be more! Liked it? Hated it? Should I bother continuing? Constructive Criticism welcomed. 


	3. Ireland

Disclaimer: JK is too brilliant to be me, so therefore the characters in use are not mine. though I wouldn't mind having Ron. I also don't own John Benny's Pub, or Ireland, or Guinness. I pretty much only own the plot.  
  
A/N: I hope you all like the places in Ireland. They're real, I've been there. If you ever get a chance to go to Ireland. Go to these places. And the food there is to die for. But more on Ireland later. Please read and enjoy.  
  
Much Thanks to Helen my "beta" reader! Without her, my fic would sound so American.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Ron and Hermione were standing outside of the airport looking at all the cars coming and going.  
  
"What do we do now?" Ron said looking amazed at all the Muggle cars.  
  
"We get a taxi, and go to Dingle Town." Hermione said looking at a list of instructions she wrote down  
  
"What?" Ron said starting to laugh.  
  
"Yes that's what it's called." Ron laughed even harder. He almost doubled over with laughter, but Hermione jabbed him in the ribs before he got out of hand. Ron's laughter died almost immediately. "But first we have to get a taxi." Hermione said walking to the side of the road trying to stop one as it passed.  
  
"Where to miss?" The driver asked getting out of the car to load the bags into the trunk.  
  
"Dingle town." Ron let out another giggle before he saw Hermione look at him again. "And could you take Connor pass? I heard it was interesting."  
  
"Yes miss." The driver said opening the door for them to get in. Hermione got in then Ron followed.  
  
"So you've done your research." Ron said not surprised.  
  
"Of course. I got this really interesting book about Ireland, and they said Connor Pass is very beautiful."  
  
"As long as we get to scare the sheep." Ron mumbled.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione said giving Ron a little hit on the arm.  
  
"What? Fred and George said it's hilarious to see the sheep jump 20 meters in the air." Ron said trying to defend himself. Hermione just smiled at him. This was going to be an interesting trip.  
  
"Finally." Hermione sighed as they arrived in front of John Benny's Pub. "I never thought that ride would end."  
"It was fun." Ron said grinning looking around the town at all the little shops. They could see the harbor from the front of the pub. It was a wonderful little town.  
"That poor sheep." Hermione said shaking her head. Ron just chuckled at how high the sheep jumped. "Well let's go before we attract any attention." Ron just looked around confused.  
"So where are we staying again?" Hermione looked around for any Muggles that were close enough to hear before she told Ron again where they were going.  
"You know how we get onto platform 9 ¾ right? Well it's just like that. Behind the pub there is a wall you just lean against to get to the magic part of the town." Hermione said in a whisper. "So let's go." The two teens picked up their suitcases and dragged them to a wall near the pub. They leaned against it and fell through to the world beyond. The street looked just as the street outside, but instead of Guinness being advertised on the sign of the pub, Butterbeer and Firewhiskey were. There were owls flying overhead, and some other stores that could only be defined as magic shops. It was a bit different then the shops just beyond the wall that were selling Irish sheep wool coats and scarves and tourists shops that sold gifts. Hermione and Ron walked for a bit down the street until they reached the beach. It was beautiful. Everything you could ever wish for. They quickly found the main office for the cottages. They checked in and found their own cottage.  
"Wow." Ron said lugging his suitcase into the cozy place. You had to walk up the steps to the cottage, but the dragging of the heavy luggage was worth it. Ron helped Hermione with hers as soon as he got his in.  
"Thanks." Hermione said when Ron finished carrying it up for her. When she walked in, she quickly took in her surroundings. To the left was the small kitchen that contained a stove, a sink, and a refrigerator. Pots, Pans, and Plates were in the cupboard. Attached to the kitchen was a little breakfast bar and beyond that was a table and chairs in the dinning room that looked out over the beach. There were windows all around the room. The view was breath taking. To the right was the living room. There was a sofa in front of the fireplace and a chair to the right of it. Just to the left of the sofa on the wall was a bookcase. Hermione just looked though a few of the books. Some of them had titles and no doubt useful information in them; Prevention of burning: Eight simple potions, Much worse than a Grindylow: Dangerous Sea-Creatures, and Simple Charms for a Magical Night. Hermione wasn't sure they'd be using that last one but the others sounded quite useful. Also to the left was a hall that Hermione only guessed lead to their room and the bathroom, but as she walked down the hall she only saw two doors.  
"Maybe they share a bathroom." Hermione said, more to herself than Ron. They each opened a door to reveal one bedroom, and one bathroom. Hermione was frustrated. "I thought there were going to be two bedrooms."  
"It's OK, Hermione. I'll sleep out here on the sofa." Ron said looking at the bed. It looked big enough for two people to share, but Ron knew he wouldn't be that lucky, so he decided to be gentlemen and sleep in the living room. He would have slept on the carpeted floor if it came to it.  
"No, Ron. We'll take it in turns. Take alternating nights or weeks, something like that." Hermione said. She didn't want to hog the bed. It would be impolite. After all, he was her guest.  
  
"No. You take the bed. I'm just going to put my suitcase in here so it's out of the way." Ron said lugging it into the room and setting it in a corner. Hermione sighed and entered the room. After Ron set down the suitcase Hermione went over to him and hugged him.  
"Thanks so much Ron." Ron blushed when they parted.  
"It's ok." Ron said his ears still pink.  
"No you did a great thing." Hermione said being honest.  
"No big deal." Ron said leaving the room to get Hermione's luggage. He pulled it in and put it at the foot of her bed. "Why don't we get some lunch? I'm starved."  
"Okay. Harry won't be here for a while anyway. He's coming later tonight to make sure that we got here alright." Hermione said with Ron following her out the door to the street.  
"So where do you want to eat?" Ron asked.  
"How about we eat at the Muggle restaurant that we saw before the wall; John Benny's? I saw that they had Shepard's Pie." Hermione said teasingly. She knew Ron loved Shepard's Pie.  
"OK. But I don't have any Muggle money." Ron said sheepishly.  
"It's fine. I have some left over from the airport." Hermione said taking some notes out of her pocket.  
"Shepard's Pie sounds great." Ron said. Not soon after that his stomach grumbled after they started walking. Hermione giggled. Ron's ears turned pink. "Sorry." He said causing Hermione to laugh a little harder. Ron looked at her with a mock-hurt look, which made her stop walking so she could laugh. Ron soon joined her and before they knew it they were back on the outside of the wall on the Muggle side.  
  
End A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short, but them being short, there will be more! Liked it? Hated it? Should I bother continuing? Constructive Criticism welcomed.  
  
I decided to put these down here. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. It makes me extremely happy when I open my inbox and there's reviews in there. So thank you Adipodes Poe, Dragon Girl Revlis, penguins r cute, HA, MaNdAsFoRrOn, hP fAn Fo LyFe, any, hermione_hurl787, belllatrixmustdie, TheSkyIsOrange666, PuNkPoTtErPrInCeSs, smol (not sure about deatheaters yet), and DemonAngi. Big thanks to Maegan and Brittany who convinced me to post this. And to Coral who first read and thought it was good. Julie, I want to thank you for pointing out that Brits don't need passports to go to Ireland, but would that be to southern Ireland, which as far as I know, is its own country, or northern Ireland which is part of the UK? Thanks for catching the missing "a" too, sometimes when typing the "a" can get lost. My beta is more focused on the Americanisms since that's what I asked her to look for, and remember, this is amateur writing, I'm not professional, yet, but thanks for your review. 


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